Between Worlds
by DeadLight63
Summary: A young man is teleported to Equestria, and his personality quickly makes him trusted by many. When portals that lead to Earth arrive, he decides to show them around, and the group travels between the worlds often. The thing is, when traveling to Earth, the girls become human, but he never becomes a pony. Why is this?
1. A New Creature

**A/N Just a quick word, this story will contain some religious elements, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, don't read it.**

Twilight yawned as she waited outside the hospital, waiting for Pinkie and Rainbow. For some reason, they had called her to the hospital, saying they needed her "big braininess." Pinkie had been the one who had said that, but Rainbow had explained why. They had found something unconscious and bleeding on the edge of town, but had no idea what it was. Twilight was pretty sure that it was nothing serious, new species were discovered everyday, this was probably no different then when they discovered that new insect a few weeks ago. Looking around, Twilight watched as a ray of sunlight formed a small spectrum of rainbows on a window. She was about to take a magazine when the door to the hospital swung open. Standing there were her friends, apparently relieved to see her. Twilight stood and turned to them.

"So, what is this mysterious creature?" She asked as a nurse came out with a troubled look on her face. Rainbow held her hoof over Pinkie's mouth just as she was about to shout what was happening, and rolled her eyes when she tried to talk anyway.

"Just follow us." Rainbow said. She released her hoof from Pinkie's snout and walked toward the door to the operating room. The halls were lined with tiles on the ground, as well as flowered wallpaper on the walls. It was somewhat calming, and Twilight wondered what it was like for nurses and doctors who worked here everyday. Did the tiles and wallpaper help ease their minds when things seemed hopeless? She could only wonder.

"Everypony is talking about it, it's the first time we've seen anything like this!" Pinkie said with a smile on her face. Twilight shook her head and looked over to Rainbow.

"How come you didn't take it to the vet?" She asked as a doctor passed them with a syringe full of blood. Twilight drew back and crinkled her nose, but managed to proceed. Rainbow looked over to her friend as she opened a door leading downwards.

"We heard it talking, it was saying "help me" as we approached it. So we figured it was intelligent." She said as the girls reached a set of stairs. A map next to it showed the layout of the hospital, with several floors being layered, depicting each detail of the building. Twilight asked where they were headed, and they said they were going to the third floor.

"Why did we put it there?" She asked as she began walking the stairs. Unlike the rest of the hospital, the stairways had a brown coloring for it's wallpaper, as well as rough looking stairs that had paint chipped from the steps.

"It's the newest room, and the only floor that has rooms with one way glass. So we get to look at him, but he doesn't get to see us!" Pinkie shouted with glee as she hopped one entire flight of stairs, not even slowing down to wait for Rainbow and Twilight. When they reached the floor, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack were all waiting by a room, where they were inspecting contents of a bag with straps on it on top of a table. ON the table was a very large book, a small square looking thing, a bottle, and a flashlight. Twilight walked up to the table and asked what the book and square object was.

"You tell me! Every time I touch it the little screen here lights up, gives the time, than vanishes again!" Applejack said as she rotated the strange device in her hooves. She asked to see it, and inspected it carefully. It had a case with a strange black object on it, and had several small buttons on it. She hook her head.

"I've never seen anything like this, I don't know what to tell you." She says as she sets the device back down on the table. Rainbow took her turn of evaluating it while Rarity handed her the book. It was red, and had golden spirals around it, and was called a Niv bibeeleh. Twilight raised an eyebrow. Of all the books she had ever seen, this one definitely had the strangest name. Flipping open a few pages, it was littered with words, as well as several areas that looked like they were lessons. Twilight read a few lines, and found out about a pony named Abraham. She smiled and closed the book, placing it back on the table. Whatever this thing was, it was definitely smart.

"So where is it?" She asked. Fluttershy trembled and pointed a hoof at a window nearby. Must have been one of the one way glass kinds. Next to the window were several doctors and nurses, each was writing something down, or checking a clipboard. Twilight walked over to the window, raising her head to see the creature. Laying there was a strange being, which had skin rather than fur. The skin was Caucasian, and the being had no shirt. This allowed her to see the multiple bandages that had been placed around it's arms and a small part of the torso. It had six small bumps on it's stomach, much like a minotaur. The similarities stopped there, however, as the being had a strangely shaped head, and no horns protruding out of it's head. The ears were remarkably small, and it's nose was small as well. The small amount of hair it did have was on top of it's head, and was brown. Twilight leaned in close, trying to get a closer view of the creature. She had never seen anything like it, and was fascinated. That's when she heard it groan. It shifted from it's sleep, turning uncomfortably against it's bandages. It's eyes gently fluttered open, and observed it's surroundings.

"Hello?" It asked in a deep voice. It turned it's head sideways again, and Twilight could see it's eyes, almost a sapphire like color. Despite being in a new scenario, it appeared to be really calm. It looked at it's wrist, and smiled as he rubbed the bandages that surrounded it. It gave a short chuckle, and Twilight saw it's teeth. They were very similar to a pony's, but a little smaller due to the size of it's mouth. It looked toward the ceiling, seeming to take in the room.

"Thank you for helping me. May I meet you?" It asks politely. Twilight smiles as the creature observes it's surroundings, and a nurse looks over to her. Twilight had decided it was he, just because of it's tone and it's facial build. She looked over to the nurse, and asked for permission to greet him.

"Not in pony yet, but you can speak to him. We want to make sure he's safe first." The nurse said as she scribbled something onto a clipboard. The creature looks around some more, and sits up, groaning as he puts pressure on his arms. He sighs with relief when he gets up to the position, and places his hands in his lap. He suddenly frowns, and looks down to his legs.

"Did you leave my pants on?" He asks. Twilight chuckles and looks over to the nurse. She nods.

"Hello in there!" She says. The creature jumps slightly and looks around, trying to find whatever it was that had spoken.

"Oh... Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She says apologetically. The creature looks over to the window, and smiles as he shakes his head.

"One way glass? Interesting." He says calmly as he places a hand on his leg and rubs it.

"My name's Joseph Carson, who might you be?" He asks with what seems like care in his voice. This surprised Twilight somewhat, and she jerked her head back. The creature was being really nice, something she hadn't expected. She had thought it would be panicking and trying to escape, but instead it was calm.

"Um... I'm Twilight Sparkle." She says back to the creature. He nods, asking if she was a Native American. Twilight had never heard of those, and said no.

"Oh, sorry. Guess I just assumed with your name. Sorry." He said as looked to a desk. He turned back to the glass. Twilight said it was alright, and asked what he was. Joseph gave a puzzled look, and slowly looked to the side, then back to the window.

"A human... Aren't you?" He asked as he opened a hand in a questioning fashion. Twilight hesitated for a moment, pondering whether to reveal what she was to him. He seemed nice enough, but she wasn't sure how he would respond. She tapped her hoof nervously against the wall underneath the glass, nervously glancing downward.

"Well... No... I'm a Unicorn..." She said slowly. Joseph shrugged and laid his head back against the pillow.

"That's kind of far fetched, but it wouldn't surprise me. I've seen dragons and lion, scorpion like things." He said as he checked his wrist again. Twilight's eyes darted open, and she looked over to the nurse. By now, the others had all come to see him, and Fluttershy seemed to be sympathetic for him.

"Can we go in and see if he's okay?" She said with sadness and concern in her voice. The nurse looked over to doctor, who seemed unsure.

"Who's that? Is that one of your friends?" Joseph asked as he sat back up. Fluttershy smiled, laying her hooves against the glass.

"Hi." She said quietly. Joseph smiled and looked at the glass. He greeted her, and told her his name, asking for hers in return. Fluttershy whimpered as her ears dropped, and she trembled lightly. Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder and nodded. Fluttershy gulped and looked back to him.

"Um... I'm... I'm Fluttershy..." She said nervously. Joseph nodded and said that it was nice to meet her. The doctor tapped Twilight on the shoulder and said she was safe to go in. Twilight nodded and looked to the others. Rarity was still observing the book that he had brought, and Applejack had placed the device back on the table. Rainbow was observing the creature, still trying to find out if he was hiding wings. Twilight chuckled and looked back to him, who now looked like he was trying to find something.

"Excuse me, Joseph? A couple of my friends are going to come in and meet you face to face. Is that alright?" She asked. He shrugged.

"It's your hospital, I don't see why you couldn't." He says as he calmly lays his head on the pillow again. Twilight walks toward the door, placing her hoof on the handle. With a firm push, she enters the room.


	2. His World

Pinkie instantly burst through the door, nearly knocking down Twilight in her race to get inside the room. She gave a joy filled gasp as she saw Joseph, who reared his head back in surprise.

"Wow..." He said, barely above a whisper. There was amazement in his voice, and it was clear he couldn't believe his eyes. He gave a short chuckle and looked back to the doorway, and saw Twilight. She gave a light smile and nodded. She felt her stomach ache slightly, and her forehead grow hotter. She was anxious, and with good reason. This was the first time she had ever seen a creature like this so close up.

"Hi! My name's Pinkie Pie! I'm really excited to meet you! What's your home like? Are there more of you? Do you have ponies like us at your world?" Pinkie shot off. Twilight chuckled nervously and went forward to grab her friend. She took her friend's foreleg and pulled back slightly.

"Pinkie, give him some space." She says as she pulls her down to her eye level. Joseph gave a short chuckle.

"It's fine. I'll answer any questions that you have." He said. Twilight stepped back, releasing Pinkie. Pinkie smiles and leaps up to the bed, standing right next to Joseph. He backs his head away and smiles nervously.

"I would like a small amount of personal space though." He says with a nervous tone. Pinkie shrugs and backs away. Joseph sighs in relief and places his hands in his lap. Twilight smiles and walks forward.

"Hi Joseph, I'm Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn you were talking to." She says as she places her hoof on her chest, pointing to herself. Joseph nodded, and inspected her.

"Amazing, I guess they really do exist." He said. Twilight was taken aback by this statement. There were no ponies where he lived? But... How did he know what she was? This didn't make any sense. If there wasn't any on his world, why would he know what a unicorn was? She shook her head, trying to get this out of her mind.

"Uh, what do you mean? Are there no unicorns in your world?" She asked. Joseph shook his head.

"Nope. The closest thing we have are horses, but those are a lot bigger than you are. And they aren't sentient, much less able to talk." He said as he threw off his covers. He observed his legs, which were covered in bandages. He sighed and rubbed them, as Twilight tried to process what she had just heard. Looking up to him, she noticed that he didn't seem upset about the injuries to his legs. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the one on the left was larger than the other, as though inflated. She was about to speak again, but he spoke first.

"Now, answering Pinkie's questions, yes, there are more of my kind. Where I come from, humans are the dominant life forms. How they act however, is completely based on their personality. Like you guys." He said. Pinkie nodded as she wrote this down, having grabbed a pencil and paper from nowhere. Twilight chuckled and looked to the door, seeing Fluttershy sticking her head barely out of the doorway. She motioned for her to come in, but she hesitated. Twilight smiled and walked over. She looked into her eyes, and asked what was wrong.

"Well... I... I'm scared..." She said as her mane covered one of her eyes. twilight smiled and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"There's nothing to be scared of Fluttershy. We're right there with you. And he seems really nice." She said. Fluttershy still seemed unsure, but Rainbow told her she wouldn't leave her side. She smiled and nodded. Twilight looked over to Applejack, who was now taking her turn in evaluating the strange book. She asked if she was going to come in, and Applejack nodded. Rarity, on the other hoof, seemed hesitant.

"I just know that every other encounter I've had with two legged creatures have gone horridly. I for one, am not going to allow myself to add yet another experience to that list." She said as she crossed her forelegs. Twilight just squinted and looked at her. She couldn't blame her for being suspicious, after all, both her encounters with Diamond Dogs and a Minotaur went badly. Still, she couldn't just brand him like that without actually knowing him, right? She sighed.

"Well... Suit yourself." She said as she walked back over to the others. Fluttershy stood by the door, waiting for Twilight to step in. Twilight walked back in the room, finding Pinkie talking to a now sitting up Joseph. He turned, and was about to wave when he saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. His mouth dropped slightly, and his eyes grew large.

"Pegasi..." He said with fascination. Fluttershy backed down slightly, her mane covering one of her eyes again. She looked from Rainbow to Joseph several times before saying hello. Joseph smiled and grunted as he used his hands to lift his left leg. Sweat slightly came from his brow, and he appeared to be in a little pain. Regardless, he changed his direction and faced the group that had just entered.

"I'm guessing you're Fluttershy?" Joseph asked as he looked at her. She nodded, and looked over to Twilight. Twilight smiled and gave a reassuring nod, as Rainbow stepped forward, taking a look at Joseph. She frowned and pointed at him accusingly.

"Aright buster, spill it. How did you know what we were?" She said with a harsh tone. Applejack glared at her, and Rainbow looked at her questioningly.

"What?" She asked with a shrug. Joseph smiled and shook his head. Applejack looked to him and smiled, introducing herself, as well as Rainbow. She then apologized for Rainbow's attitude, to which she scoffed and looked to the side. Joseph looked over to Rainbow and smiled.

"It's alright. I can understand why you aren't rushing forward to welcome me. Meeting something new that knows a lot about you can be scary." He said. Rainbow gave an insulted look.

"Me? Scared? Who do you think you are buster?" She said, nearly shouting and flying into his face.

"Rainbow! That's enough!" Applejack shouted angrily, but Joseph actually told Applejack that it was fine. He looked back at Rainbow and raised his hand, moving it down a few times, indicating he wanted her to relax. Rainbow glared at him and lowered herself to the floor, where she continued to stare at him with a hateful expression.

"I didn't mean to offend you, so if I did, I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me." He said calmly. Rainbow stepped back, somewhat surprised by his reaction. Most would be angry and start arguing with her, but he just said he was sorry. She sighed and said that it was alright, which was right about when Rarity came in.

"I thought ya said ya din't wanna take any chances." Applejack said with a slight grin. Rarity rolled her eyes and walked into the room.

"I just figured I could give him the benefit of the doubt." She said calmly. She rose her head in the air and stepped defiantly up to Joseph. She closed her eyes, smiled, and introduced herself. Joseph shook his head and placed his hands on his knees.

"I'm guessing you don't trust me?" He asked calmly. Rarity looked to the side nervously.

"Well... I wouldn't say that I... well... No, sorry." She said. Joseph shrugged.

"That makes sense. I can't say I'd be thrilled to meet a new creature that randomly showed up either." He said as he massaged his left leg.

"Why do you do that?" Twilight asked. Joseph looked up to her and rose an eyebrow, as did Rainbow. He asked what she meant, and she pointed at his left leg. He looked down, observing his leg for a moment. With a sigh, he looked up. The smile on his face had almost vanished, although there was still a thin trace of it.

"I have multiple sclerosis in my left leg. It hurts if I move it too much, and I massage it to try to make it feel better." He said. Fluttershy gasped and waked closer, lifting a the bottom part of his leg.

"You poor thing..." She said. Joseph smiled and took her hoof, gently removing it from his leg. She looked up to him with concern, and asked if he could walk. He gave a short chuckle, then looked to the ground. He shook his head, and said no. The ponies in the room gasped, and Pinkie almost instantly shot off questions about how it made him feel. Joseph tried to answer, but Pinkie didn't give him enough time. He patiently listened as she continued to rant about how she would be devastated if she couldn't walk.

"Pinkie! Give the man a chance ta' talk!" Applejack said. Pinkie stopped in mid sentence and backed away, moving her hooves over her mouth, and swiping it sideways. Joseph mouthed the words 'thank you' to Applejack, and looked at the group.

"I try not to let it bother me so much. If I ever feel down about it, I just think about all my blessings." He says.

"Blessings?" Rarity asks. Joseph looks to the ponies and nods, and smiles.

"Yeah. I have a family that loves me, friends that understand me, a home, enough to eat..."

"Wait, wait... Enough to eat? What in the hay does that mean?" Rainbow asked. Applejack glared at her again, and Rainbow shrugged again.

"Well, some places in my world are really poor, and the people there are really hungry. They don't get enough food, and constantly are starving throughout the day." He said. Twilight frowned. His world didn't sound that great. If people were starving, that had to mean something was wrong, right? Joseph smiled.

"I know what you're thinking, and it's not that bad. My family runs a charity that sends food and water to those places. And we're not the only ones, a lot of governments also have programs set up to help them too." He said. Fluttershy smiled slightly.

"Wow... Your kind sounds really nice."

"Most are. Some are... well... for lack of a better word, evil. They hurt others for fun, and thrive on making their lives miserable. Some even kill." He said. Twilight understood completely. Queen Chrysalis, Discord, Trixie, and several other names came to mind. Killing was manticores, so she understood from that perspective as well. A nurse walked in, and Joseph greeted her. The nurse gave a slight wave, and looked down at a clipboard.

"Well Mr. Carson, you seem to be stable, and in good health, excluding your legs there. But we want to keep you here overnight just to be safe." She said. Joseph nodded and thanked her. The nurse informed the ponies that visiting hours were over, and Pinkie groaned in disappointment. She started to ask if they could stay, but Fluttershy spoke up.

"I... I think we should go. I mean... If that's okay with you... I mean... He does need sleep... Right?" She said nervously. Twilight chuckled and nodded, telling the girls to leave him be. Before she left, Twilight asked Joseph if he could tell them more about his home. He shifted himself back into a laying down position and smiled.

"If I ever get back, I'll just show it to you."


	3. Hospital Meetup

_The Next Day... 10:00 AM_

Joseph slipped on his shirt, which the nurses had been kind enough to wash before giving back to him. They had also returned his backpack, which contained his bible, his Ipod, his flashlight, and his water bottle. He smiled and looked over to his desk, where his baseball cap with his charity's name on it sat. He reached out, and took it in his hands. It was a little torn thanks to his first encounters here, but it was otherwise untouched. He was still sitting on the bed that he had stayed in overnight, awaiting a wheel chair the nurses were bringing in. He looked over to his bible, and smiled as he reached out to grab it. He flipped open to a page he marked with a piece of paper, and read a verse aloud as he thought about how lucky he was to be okay. God had been good to him. Carefully, he adjusted his legs, folded his hands, and began to pray.

...

Twilight waited outside, along with the others. Overnight, the Princess had assigned them to show Joseph around, and make him feel welcome while he was here. Nopony was sure how long he would be here, but they wanted to make sure he felt trusted. Nearly everypony had seen him get carried into town in his weakened, injured state. After they got to find out what he was, everypony was curious to see what he was like. So, the Princess had also assigned them to introduce him to the ponies of Ponyville.

"I'm so excited! I can hardly wait! This is going to be so much fun!" Pinkie said as she leaped into the air and clapped her hooves. Twilight shook her head and turned back to face the door while Applejack tried to calm their ecstatic friend. Rainbow slouched in her seat as she blew air up into her mane, clearly bored. Fluttershy had become more comfortable with the idea of showing him around, since he was a new creature, and she loved all kinds of creatures. Rarity still seemed hesitant about spending time with him, clearly still not trusting him because of having two legs.

"Seriously! Could they take any longer in there?" Rainbow complained as she let her head fall against the back of the chair. Twilight sighs and looks over to her friend, who is now tapping her hoof impatiently against the ground. Twilight shakes her head as she rolls her eyes. Looking back to the door, she wonders how the rest of the town will react to his appearance. After all, the only thing that was remotely similar to it was minotaur, and there were some pretty obvious differences at that comparison.

"Morning girls. Honestly didn't expect to see you here." She hears. Looking over, she sees Nurse Red Heart, holding out a clipboard as she walked out of the door marked "emergency room". Twilight nodded and stood, saying that the Princess had asked them to show Joseph around. The Nurse smiled and placed her clipboard down, saying that he would be right out.

"Tell him to hurry." Rainbow said with an annoyed tone. Twilight groaned, and looked over to her friend. Rainbow shrugged, and looked around, as though she didn't think she didn't do anything rude. Then again, she probably didn't.

"Can ya try bein' patient fer more den ten seconds Rainbow? Really, that'd be nice." Applejack said as she sat in a somewhat reclined position. Her hat covered her face, and she voice gave indication of being tired. Hopefully this wouldn't turn into another instance of applebuck season, or this would be a very long day. Applejack lowered her hat and looked at Twilight, and seeming to know what she was thinking, shook her head and placed her hat back up onto her cranium.

"Don't worry Twi, I was just up late doing work around the farm, but I still got up at the same time. That's why I'm so tired, not cuz' I'm ignorin' my sleep." She said as she placed her hooves over her chest and closed her eyes. Twilight looked over to Rarity, who was reading a fashion magazine she had brought. Also with her was a sketchpad and a pencil. She brought a hoof to her chin and used the pencil to write something down, seeming to be focused on a project.

"Sorry for keeping you girls waiting so long." Twilight heard as she turned to the first door. Standing, or rather sitting, was Joseph in a large, black wheel chair. His left leg was in what looked like a red cast, with his toes pointing right out of the top. His backpack rested on his back, pushing him slightly ahead in his wheelchair. This morning, he was wearing a plain gray T-Shirt, a pair of green jeans with several pockets, and a hat that said "CWAWH". Twilight raised an eyebrow, and cocked her head as she observed the hat. The other girls quickly greeted him, except Rainbow. She gave a relieved sigh and leapt to her hooves.

"Finally we can get out of here! I'm sick of smelling that weird hospital smell!" She said as she leapt into the air, getting as much air as she could underneath her to speed out of the door. Before she could, Applejack grabbed her tail with her teeth and pulled her down to the floor. She made a audible thud as she groaned in pain, then gave an annoyed growl at Applejack. The farm mare just shrugged.

"You need ta wait fer Joseph there." She said as she calmly got up from her chair. She looked over to the man, smiled, and tipped her hat. Joseph smiled as he did the same. Twilight chuckled as she observed the two. She could already tell that these two were going to get along just fine. Pinkie raised into the air with continuous leaps as she instantly launched herself at Joseph.

"Hi Joseph! It's really, really good to see you! I'm so excited to show you around! It's going to be super duper fun!" She shouted as she leaped into the air, throwing her forelegs up in a victorious pump. Joseph nodded and smiled nervously as he backed up in his wheelchair. Trying to put a little bit of distance between him and the crazy party pony. Twilight couldn't help but giggle at this.

"Well actually, I was hoping you guys knew a good restaurant in town. I haven't eaten anything since before you found me, so I'm a little hungry." He said as he rested his arms on the armrests of the wheel chair. Fluttershy stepped up and smiled.

"Well... I uh... I know a small restaurant that has really good food, if you want. I mean... You don't have to..." She said nervously. Joseph smiled and raised a hand, sticking it out to the mare. She backed away slightly, but Joseph paused one he had pushed a few centimeters from where he had originally placed his arm.

"That sounds great. By the way, you don't have to be afraid of me. I would never even think of hurting you." He said calmly. Fluttershy blushed lightly and nodded.


	4. Diverse

Twilight made herself comfortable in the small, cushioned chair. The small restaurant that Fluttershy had led them to was a quaint, family owned business that was famous among Ponyville's citizens. Joseph, of course, had never been here, but he was very open to the idea, apparently trusting the girls wholeheartedly. For being in a new world, he was strangely calm and friendly, something that wasn't even common of some mules, or even other ponies.

"So... What's good here?" Joseph asked as he locked his wheelchair into place, getting a couple of curious stares from across the room. He seemed to either not notice, or just ignore it, as he simply picked up his menu and observed it with a keen eye.

"Well... I... I don't know..." Fluttershy said nervously. Joseph continued to observe his menu as a waiter came to their table carrying a tray of iced water. He stopped at the table, and instantly noticed him. Placing his tray on the table, the waiter observed Joseph carefully, analyzing every feature of him. Joseph calmly placed his menu down, and turned to face him. The waiter carefully examined his face, clearly confused by the creature before him.

"Aren't you that thing that was carried in yesterday?" He asked as he placed a glass of water in front of him. Joseph just chuckled, and nodded. He took a sip of his water, leaving the waiter completely baffled. He was about to question him some more, but Twilight just asked if he could take drink requests.

"Oh... Of course... Forgive me." He said apologetically after getting over his initial shock. Twilight asked for some fruit juice, the juice at the restaurant was hoof squeezed fresh everyday, making it very good. Most of the others asked for the same thing, except Joseph. He simply asked for more water. The waiter nodded and went back, still looking at Joseph until he entered the door leading to the kitchen. Joseph slumped in his chair and covered his face with the menu, seeming to be embarrassed of all the attention that he was getting. Nopony was rushing up to greet him, but EVERYPONY was staring at him.

"Don't mind them bud, they're jus' curious is all." Applejack said as she observed her menu. Joseph nodded and glanced around nervously, placing the menu on the table and opening it. The group sat there in silence for a moment, merely looking at their menus. Twilight couldn't figure out whether to get the daisy sandwich or the fruit tart, and was about to ask Rarity when she heard Joseph sigh. She looked up to face him, although the others still looked at their menus. He still wore a smile on his face, but seemed to be sad at the same time. Twilight cocked her head to the side, and raised an eyebrow at him.

"You okay?" She asked. Joseph looked up to her and shook his head. He placed his menu to his side and fumbled with his hands for a moment, before sighing again.

"I'm guessing there's nothing with meat on that menu for a reason?" He asks calmly. Rarity, who had been drinking her juice, literally spit it out of her mouth in shock. The liquid sprayed across Pinkie's face, who just happily slurped it up with her tongue. Twilight backed her head away, slightly taken aback by what he had just asked. She never would have guessed that humans ate meat, especially with so many things being sentient.

"Why? Do... Do you eat meat?" She asked with a slight hint of fear in her voice. Joseph gave a guilty smile, and looked down to the table. Placing his hands together, he carefully looked up to the faces of the ponies around him. All except Pinkie's carried either anxiety, fear, or anger. Twilight herself was confused, since he made no impression of being a meat eater before, and definitely didn't look like one. He sighed again, and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yes..." Was all he said. Rarity gave a disgusted grunt as Fluttershy whimpered and sunk into her chair. Pinkie actually lost her smile for a moment and grew wide eyed, her jaw dropping from her apparent shock. Applejack just stared at him, no emotion in her eyes, just confusion. Rainbow glared angrily at him as she barred her teeth, clearly outraged at him. Twilight was in the same condition as Pinkie. Meat eater? But... Why was he so nice? Almost all meat eaters were either mean, or just unintelligent animals. He was clearly smart, and was definitely not mean, so what was the explanation behind this?

"I knew there was something off about this creature the second I laid eyes on it!" Rarity shouted as she crossed her forelegs. Applejack gave a skeptical look towards Joseph, who was still rubbing the back of his head in what seemed to be shame.

"Now hold on a sec girls, let's see if there's a reason to why he eats meat." Applejack said as she placed her menu down. Joseph rose his head slightly, and observed the ponies around him. He sighed and leaned against the back of his wheelchair, clearly upset about their reaction.

"Well... Let me put it this way... Is there anything here that needs to eat meat to survive?" He asks with a hint of guilt in his voice. Fluttershy looked to the others, then slowly ascended from her position.

"Yes... Bears and Cats need to eat meat, o-or they get really weak." She said with a shaky voice. Joseph allowed himself to slightly extend his smile.

"Well, it's like that. Some humans choose to not eat meat, but most do. Meat helps humans get more protein and such in their bodies. This makes their muscles stronger. Without it, they're substantially weaker." He says calmly. Twilight sighs and relaxes. That actually made sense. A lot of animals ate fish and worms, so it couldn't be that bad for him to eat it. Rainbow seemed unconvinced however, and interrogated him about what kind of meat he ate.

"Well, like I said yesterday, on my home, humans are the only real sentient beings there are..." He began. Rarity instantly pointed a hoof at him.

"Liar! You only said that horses weren't sentient! I am disgusted by your kind!" She says with a hateful tone. Joseph frowns and rubs the back of his head, while Applejack gives Rarity a death glare.

"Was dat really necessary?" She asks with an irritated tone. Rarity gives an embarrassed frown, and slips down into her chair. Twilight stares at her as well. Even with this new information about Joseph, that was no reason to be so mean and rude to him about it. But Rarity wasn't really a fan of him, so of course she wasn't ashamed of what she said.

"You know... That wasn't very ladylike." Twilight said with a serious tone. Rarity frowned angrily and glared at Twilight. She was about to speak again, but Joseph interrupted.

"Look... I can understand why you wouldn't trust me... I can already tell no one here eats meat, so I guess that's one thing you guys have in common with horses. But like I said, humans are the only real sentient beings there. We eat chicken, cows, fish, etc." He said calmly. Fluttershy began to tear up at this, and Pinkie continued to stare with her shocked expression. It was the only time Twilight could remember that she had gone this long without talking. Joseph could already tell this was making Fluttershy upset, so he sighed and tried talking again.

"We don't eat all of them, only some, the ones that are weak, hurt, or old. Ones that were going to die anyway. Otherwise we leave them alone, or even keep them as pets. There's even some animals that we refuse to eat. Like dogs, cats, horses, monkeys, and others. Most people love animals, and set up adoptions and reserves to get them to good, loving homes." He said. Fluttershy seemed to be comforted at this, as he nodded and was finally sitting up in her chair, instead of slouching a majority of her body under the table. Rarity still seems unsure, and asks the question that Twilight and the others really didn't.

"What about each other? Do you eat each other?" She asked. For once, Joseph actually seemed angry. He glared angrily at Rarity, and clenched his fist. His teeth are clenched shut, and there is obvious fury that emanates from his eyes. Twilight backs away, frightened by his behavior. He notices this, and tries to calm himself down, breathing slowly and steadily. He doesn't smile, but he does stop appearing to be angry. Turning to Rarity, he gives his answer.

"Only a few humans are cannibals... But those people are sick... They don't even care about life, they're insane, messed up tin the head..." He says with a hint of anger in his voice. However, his eyes carry sadness, not rage. He sighs and shakes his head, and places his hand on his head.

"I'm not one of those people... I don't eat other humans, almost no one does. The ones that do aren't liked by most people." He says as he rubs his forehead, seeming to be attempting to get the idea out of his head. Applejack stared at him sympathetically, and even Rarity seemed to be regretting asking the question. Twilight couldn't believe how different these humans could be from each other. Some were caring, took care of animals, watched over others, and some were the exact opposite. How could humans be THAT diverse? Even ponies weren't that different from one another. Joseph laid against the back of his chair, and looked around the ponies once more.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, or if you don't like humans. But... I'm asking if I can show you the better side of humanity..." He says as he leans on the table, keeping himself propped up by the front of his forearms. Twilight smiled, and nodded.

"Of course. You seem like a nice person Joseph, and I think it'd only be fair to give you a chance." She said. Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy quickly gave their agreements, although Rainbow and Rarity still seemed unsure.

"Well... Alright, but I'm keeping an eye on you." Rainbow said as she picked up her menu. Pinkie brought a hoof to her chin, seeming to be in thought.

"Hmm... That sure is a neat trick Dashie! Can you teach me how to do it?" She asked with enthusiasm in her voice. She had on a huge smile, and fidgeted in her seat. Rainbow lowered her menu and gave Pinkie a quizzical look, and Joseph did the same. He leaned over to Twilight.

"She does know that's just an expression right?" He asked. Twilight sighed and shook her head.

"Honestly, I stopped trying to figure Pinkie Pie out a LONG time ago." She said as she rose her own menu. Joseph shrugged and sat back in his chair. Rarity looked over to him, and glared at him a moment. Her eyes were still unforgiving, but they had lost some of their harsh quality. Eventually, she sighs and shakes her head, somewhat annoyed.

"Very well Joseph, I will give you the benefit of the doubt. However I will not be so easily won over." She says with a solid tone. Joseph chuckles.

"Don't worry, I don't expect you to be."

...

Twilight sighed and laid her head against the pillow in her bed. The rest of the day had just been a mash up of greetings, questions, etc. when showing Joseph around town. The only pony who didn't mind the whole way through was Pinkie, go figure. Twilight was exhausted, and ready to go to sleep. Spike had offered to organize the books in the library, since he could easily see how tired she was. Currently, he was next to her, organizing the books in her room before she drifted off to sleep.

"So what do you think of him?" Spike asked as he placed a book about Medieval Canterlot onto a shelf. Twilight rose an eyebrow in question, showing her lack of understanding. Spike paused for a moment and rose his shoulders into a shrugging position.

"You know, the human?" He asked. Twilight nodded, somewhat shocked she hadn't picked up on that right away. She stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. He was definitely kind, but he also seemed to doubt himself a lot. He never let compliments affect him as much as criticisms, always tried to find ways to make up any flaws others saw in him.

"Well... He's a nice person for sure, but he needs to learn to stop beating himself up." She said with a shake of the head. She closed her eyes, although she wasn't asleep yet.

"What do you mean?" She heard Spike ask. She sighed and opened her eyes again, looking to her right. Spike was on a ladder, with a stack of books underneath his arms. He placed a book onto one of the shelves, and looked back over to Twilight, awaiting her answer.

"He just doesn't let himself feel like he's good enough. He seems to always make himself think there's something he needs to work on." She says with a groggy voice. Spike tries to speak again, but she stops him.

"Look... Spike... We'll discuss this in the morning... Joseph is going to meet Applejack's family and visit the farm first thing in the morning, so we can talk then. Right now, I just want to rest." She said as she placed her head on the pillow again, and shut her eyes. She could hear the distinct sound of a door opening and closing, as well as the flicking of a light switch. Twilight rolled over and placed her hoof under her pillow for support, and let herself drift off to sleep.


	5. Meet the Apples

**A/N I'm not even going to make up an excuse as to why I haven't updated. I was lazy, end of story. My writer's block had something to do with it, but I still could have just pushed through it. Anyway I'm sorry for not updating, and hopefully I can get my writing schedule back in gear with the new school year. Don't know why, but I always write better whenever school comes around. So if nothing else, look forward to school because it's when I manage to pump out the most updates. PS: I'm trying to add in accents in my stories, so if it looks like the Apple family dialogue is spelt or said wrong, it's probably intentional. Just let me know if the accent is wrong.**

_The Next Morning..._

Applejack walked beside Joseph, watching as he strolled along the narrow path that lead to the acres. He had already been up for hours according the hotel manager, and had even asked if he wanted help around the hotel. He had refused of course. Now the two were on their way to the farm. The sun beat down on the road, although Applejack's hat was keeping it out of her eyes. Joseph's baseball hat was the doing the same thing for him. Applejack smiled as she reached the first few trees of their enormous orchard. The small farm that Granny Smith had started all those years ago had really blossomed, transforming into the largest apple orchard in all of Equestria.

"Wow... Those are a lot of trees. You guys must keep pretty busy." Joseph said as he stopped to observe the expanse of trees. Applejack came to a halt as well, looking out on the orchard. Just to the east, the sun had risen just to the side of the trees, almost making it look like something out of a fairy tale.

"Yep. Sweet Apple Acres is the biggest orchard in Equestria. Our apple products keep Equestria goin' all year round." She said with a little bit of pride in her voice. Joseph chuckled and began to move again.

"So who do you live with down here? I doubt anyone could take care of all of this by themselves." He said as the farm house came into view. Outside were the usual bales of hay and carts filled with apples. There were fewer than there normally were at this point of the day, but most likely because Applejack hadn't been there to help Big Macintosh. And with Applebloom off at school, he had been left to attend to the orchard alone.

"Well we live with Granny Smith, mah grandma, but mah big brother Big Macintosh is more 'er less the one who really runs the farm." Applejack said as she observed Big Macintosh coming back with yet another cart full of apples. He never took his focus off of his work though, so he couldn't see them. No matter how interesting or unusual, unless an actual pony came up to him and started talking to him, Big Macintosh never stopped working. It was a trait shared by almost everypony in the Apple family, except for Applebloom.

"So it's you, your big brother and your grandma?" Joseph asked.

"Actually mah little sister Applebloom's is at the farm to, but she don't do any work around here yet. She's too occupied with 'er schoolwork." Applejack said in response. Joseph nodded, looking at the tip of the barn.

"So what about you?" Applejack asked.

"Huh?" Joseph said with a confused tone.

"What's yer' family like?"

"Oh. I'm only child, but my parents are practically the aunt and uncle of just about everyone in my neighborhood." He said. Joseph chuckled lightly, shaking his head. Applejack smiled and looked back to her front, seeing that they were now right in front of the farm. At this point, Big Macintosh had finally seen them, and smiled as he saw his sister. Applejack smiled back and tipped her hat.

"Howdy Big Macintosh. Been out workin' since ah left?" She asked. Macintosh nodded and let out his signature;

"Eeyup." It was then he noticed Joseph, and squinted one eye as he observed him carefully. Applejack chuckled.

"This here's Joseph, the human ah went to pick up." She said calmly. Big Macintosh gave a nod of understanding, and stopped staring at him. Joseph smiled and stuck out a hand, offering for a hand shake.

"It's nice to meet you." He said. Macintosh smiled back and stuck out his hoof, taking the hand shake. That was about when Applejack saw Applebloom came out to go to school, and unfortunately for Joseph, saw him. Her little sister quickly gave a squeal of joy, and sprinted forward. With a mighty leap, she landed on Joseph's lap, gaining a quick grunt of pain from him.

"Hi! Mah name's Applebloom, are you that new human that arraved' in town yesterday?" She asked as she pressed her face closer to his. Joseph backed his head away, with a nervous look on his face. His eyes darted to Applejack briefly, to which Applejack just sighed and shook her head. Looking back to Applebloom, he gave a nervous smile and nodded.

"Wow! I've never seen a human bafore! What kinda' stuff does a human do?" She asked with enthusiasm in her voice. Applejack shook her head and walked over to Joseph. She grabbed her sister's tail with her teeth and pulled her down off of Joseph. Applebloom gave a quick groan of shock, but managed to land on her hooves.

"Give 'im some space there partner." She said with a bored expression. Applebloom frowned for a moment but then looked back over to Joseph and smiled again. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Applejack asked Big Macintosh if he could get her to school.

"Applejack ah'm not a baby!" Applebloom cried in protest.

"Ah know that, but I still think yer' too young to be walkin' to and from school all by your lonesome." Applejack said calmly. Applebloom groaned, clearly aggravated. Big Macintosh nudged his sister, influencing her to move forward. Applejack gave Joseph one last look, and then proceeded to move down the path. Joseph watched as the siblings moved farther and farther away. Once they got far enough away, Joseph turned to Applejack.

"Is it weird that Pinkie Pie and Applebloom creep me out?" He asked. Applejack chuckled and shook her head.

"Not at all partner. Lotsa' other ponies in Ponyville are a bit creeped out by em' too." She said. Joseph nodded and looked over to the farm, and smiled.

"Is that your grandma?" He asked. Turning around, Applejack saw Granny Smith with several baskets around her mid section, calmly strolling out the door.

"Ain't it a bit early to go shoppin' Granny?" Applejack asked. Granny Smith turned to her, seeming to be annoyed.

"Ah fooey! Ah don't ya' ta' tell me when it's to early to got ta' tha' market!" She said. Applejack tried to ask her again, but her grandmother had already laid sight on Joseph.

"Well howdy do! Who's this handsome young feller?" She asked in an obnoxious tone. Joseph chuckled and reached his hand out, once again offering it for a hand shake. Granny Smith slowly made her way over to him, as he introduced himself. Granny Smith squinted at him, seemingly confused.

"Well now you must really be somethin' I don't think ah ever done seen a pony look that look like you before!" She said with a suspicious tone. Applejack gave a soft chuckle and walked over to her grandmother.

"Granny Smith, he isn't a pony. He's the human ah told yah bout' yesterday?" She explained. Granny Smith focused, trying to recall this. Applejack loved Granny Smith, but she was almost always forgetting things. Granny tried for a little while longer to remember, but then groaned in defeat.

"Ah pony feathers! There's just too many dang things happenin' in this town. Ah can never keep track a' WHAT'S goin' on." She said as she walked away, heading towards the town. Joseph chuckled asking if that happened a lot. Applejack wanted to say it didn't, but she couldn't be dishonest.

"Well, ah better get to work on the applebuckin'." She said as she turned away, starting to walk towards the trees.

"What?" She heard Joseph ask.

"It's what we call harvestin'." Applejack explained.

"Want any help?" Joseph asked. Applejack paused for a moment, looking back. She rose an eyebrow at Joseph, who was rolling his wheel chair to meet her.

"Yah really wanna help?" She asked with a confused tone. From what Applejack knew, if you were injured in any way, you typically didn't need to work. But he was asking to help?

"Why not? I have nothing better to do. Besides, I kind of feel like a burden to just be following you girls around everywhere." He said as he pulled up to the side of her. Applejack stared at him for moment, trying to figure out if he was serious or not. The kind smile on his face told her he wasn't lying. He honestly wanted to help. Applejack thought to herself for a moment, than sighed.

"Well ah guess so. Just be sure to do what ah do, and try not ta hurt yerself alright?" She said as she continued to walk over to the orchard. Joseph shook his head.

"Understood. You be careful too."


End file.
